Req: suggestions for heavy rider



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F1

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I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I am 6'1" and 245lbs. I have
been riding fairly often this spring and have lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of 210lbs. I am
concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions? Also, it rains a lot
where I live -- is there a way to get those disc brakes you see on mountain bikes on a road bike?
 
On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 20:11:02 +0000, F1 wrote:

> I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I am 6'1" and 245lbs.
> I have been riding fairly often this spring and have lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal
> of 210lbs.

Good for you.

> I am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions?

You're not that heavy. Avoid anything marketed due to its weight, such as 7-spoke wheels, carbon
seatposts or bars, and 20mm tires. You should be able to use a good sturdy carbon fork -- there are
many out there, and few failures. Frame materials are pretty much wide open except for scandium and
other alloys aimed at the super-light. Sturdy aluminum bikes, like Cannondales, or steel, or ti,
should be fine. 36 spoke wheels are a good idea, as are 32mm tires (so find a frame that can
accomodate them).

I would not go for disk brakes on a road bike. Calipers work just fine. For better wet braking try
KoolStop salmon pads.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | When you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember _`\(,_ | that your initial
objective was to drain the swamp. -- LBJ (_)/ (_) |
 
>I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I am 6'1" and 245lbs. I have
>been riding fairly often this spring and have lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of 210lbs. I
>am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions?

FWIW, I have been riding a standard Lemond Road Buenos Aires (6,500 miles) and a Specialized
Hardrock (7,800 miles) the past 4.5 years with no modifications and absolutely no wheel problems
(the LBS guy said I probably need to have the spokes on the Hardrock retensioned some time soon)..
My weight varies from 220 to 245 (230 now) - but I am also trying to lose weight!! I did have the
Lemond Wheels tension released upon purchase.

Actually, I never even thought about weight of rider when I purchased.

http://members.aol.com/foxcondorsrvtns (Colorado rental condo)

http://members.aol.com/dnvrfox (Family Web Page)
 
There are several manufacturers of cyclo-cross frames with disc-brake tabs. A friend of mine has one
(I think it is a KHS), with Avid road discs. It is a great idea in rainy Oregon. I would like to
have such a bike, but cannot justify adding to my already bursting inventory.

In addition to the advantage of discs, cyclocross frames would typically be sturdier than road
frames, so your weight would be less of an issue.

I suggest going to a helpful LBS, and have them check their catalogs. Most will not have what you
want in stock.

Steve Scarich
 
Originally posted by F1
I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I am 6'1" and 245lbs. I have
been riding fairly often this spring and have lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of 210lbs. I am
concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions? Also, it rains a lot
where I live -- is there a way to get those disc brakes you see on mountain bikes on a road bike?
Click to expand...

I like the idea of a cyclocross bike for you too; 250lbs is big enough to be concerned with strength. Here's a nice model I've seen around - I think one of the local clubs has some kind of sponsorship deal with Fuji. Sized for nice wide tires and cantilever brakes for $1200.

Fuji Cross Bike

(sorry I haven't downloaded that TinyURL thing yet)
 
What's an "LBS"? I've been riding around 20-35 miles 3-5 times a week, strictly road.

"FlashSteve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> There are several manufacturers of cyclo-cross frames with disc-brake
tabs. A
> friend of mine has one (I think it is a KHS), with Avid road discs. It is
a
> great idea in rainy Oregon. I would like to have such a bike, but cannot justify adding to my
> already bursting inventory.
>
> In addition to the advantage of discs, cyclocross frames would typically
be
> sturdier than road frames, so your weight would be less of an issue.
>
> I suggest going to a helpful LBS, and have them check their catalogs.
Most
> will not have what you want in stock.
>
> Steve Scarich
 
On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 17:47:56 -0400, "David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:

|On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 20:11:02 +0000, F1 wrote:
|
|> I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I am 6'1" and 245lbs. I
|> have been riding fairly often this spring and have lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of
|> 210lbs.
|
|Good for you.
|
|> I am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions?
|
|You're not that heavy. Avoid anything marketed due to its weight, such as
|7-spoke wheels, carbon seatposts or bars, and 20mm tires. You should be
|able to use a good sturdy carbon fork -- there are many out there, and few |failures. Frame
materials are pretty much wide open except for scandium |and other alloys aimed at the super-light.
Sturdy aluminum bikes, like |Cannondales, or steel, or ti, should be fine. 36 spoke wheels are a
good |idea, as are 32mm tires (so find a frame that can accomodate them).
|
|I would not go for disk brakes on a road bike. Calipers work just fine. |For better wet braking try
KoolStop salmon pads.

Everything just [well] said... I'd just add one thing about weight loss and bike riding: If you were
already active, you may not lose much weight cycling but you will/should shift it around a bit. So
check waist size in addition to hopping on the scale, to assess your progress.

and good luck with it -c.porter.
 
The BIG/HEAVY topic seems to crop up reasonably frequently. Basic need is a LBS that cares about
their customers and knows enough about biking to set you straight. Forget the **** about
"lightweight components" and saving 3 grams. Your basic need in components is strength and
durability, if its also light - thats cool. When you're big, you tend to view skeptically,
recommendations from someone who's half your weight and says, "Oh yeah, it's strong enough."
[ACIDTEST] A suggestion to determine if your LBS is really into dealing with the "big guy", walk in
and tell them you want a pair of shoes size 14 (48-49 euro), so you can use them with those NEAT
clipless pedals (SPD). If they have them in stock, you are in the right place, they've dealt with
BIGFOOT before. My LBS is a little more cautious than I. You need to decide what level of risk you
are willing to take every time you ride your bike. Are you comfortable doing 20/30/40 on a downhill
on a tire/rim/wheel you installed? Or more comfy that the LBS did this? logically, a 36spoke wheel
should be stronger than a 32 spoke. Disc Brakes - absolutely not needed on a road bike (seee earlier
suggestion about brake pads). A tandem wheel (40 spokes ?) should be stronger, but width of a tandem
frame and wheel is bigger - do you want to "stretch" (make the wheel opening wider) your frame? I
ride a cannondale Big tube aluminum 27" frame 700C (circa 1987) and it flies. I have a GIANT cypress
hybrid (A big bike). 6'7 - and just under 300 lbs.

"F1" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I
am
> 6'1" and 245lbs. I have been riding fairly often this spring and have
lost
> 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of 210lbs. I am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope
> with my weight. Any suggestions? Also, it rains
a
> lot where I live -- is there a way to get those disc brakes you see on mountain bikes on a
> road bike?
 
>I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I am 6'1" and 245lbs. I
>have been riding fairly often this spring and have lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of
>210lbs. I am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions? Also,
>it rains a lot where I live -- is there a way to get those disc brakes you see on mountain bikes
>on a road bike?
>
>
I am not exactly a light weight. Right now I am 205 and I am working on getting down to 190. I have
ridden at 230 though and had no problems except for wheels but I know a lot of heavy riders who
don't have wheel problems. A riding buddy of mine weighed 245 and he was 6'6" and pretty strong.

Well, your weight is not that great. I belonged to one bicycle club and our largest member was 6'8"
and about 300 lbs and he used a pretty much standard bike. I think most bicycles are "over
engineered". That is they can carry people who are heavier then the norm. Well maybe with what I am
reading about obesity and all, you are svelte compared to the norm.

As another person has posted, you will want to avoid really narrow tires and ultra light weight
wheels and any components advertised as being super light but otherwise, just about any bike can
handle your weight with no problem.

Unless you ride down very steep downhills in wet weather, I would think that standard brakes would
work well for you. I have found that standard caliper brakes work fine for me. And my 245 lb friend
had good results from standard caliper brakes. I know some tandems have rear disc brakes but even
most tandems (and 2 riders are going to weigh more than you usually) don't seem to need disc brakes.
 
BTW, just go to www.tinyurl.com and you don't need to download anything. Just copy/paste the URL and
it instantly gives you a tiny url. It's pretty slick.

"DiabloScott" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> F1 wrote:
> > I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping.
I
> > am 6'1" and 245lbs. I have been riding fairly often this spring and
have
> > lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of 210lbs. I am concerned that some of the bikes will
> > not cope with my weight. Any suggestions? Also, it rains a lot where I live -- is there a way
> > to get those disc brakes you see on mountain bikes on a road bike?
>
>
>
> I like the idea of a cyclocross bike for you too; 250lbs is big enough to be concerned with
> strength. Here's a nice model I've seen around - I think one of the local clubs has some kind of
> sponsorship deal with Fuji. Sized for nice wide tires and cantilever brakes for $1200.
>
> http://www.fujibikes.com/road/bike.asp?category_short_name=road&myArray-
> =1,2,3,4,5,19,6,7,8,18,16,9,10,20,11,12,13,17,15,14,54,55,56,57&myArray-
> ID=9#Fuji Cross Bike
>
> (sorry I haven't downloaded that TinyURL thing yet)
>
>
>
> --
> Check out my bike blog!
>
> http://diabloscott.blogspot.com
>
> >--------------------------<
> Posted via cyclingforums.com http://www.cyclingforums.com
 
I wish I would have read that a few weeks ago. I was working hard and eating less, but I didn't lose
a single pound. My wife swore I was, but I figured (hoped) that I was losing weight but gaining some
some muscle. My legs were already kind of big, but I wish I would have measured them before, as I
know for a fact they are bigger. My pants are loose in the waist, but tighter in the thighs...doh!

"Coal Porter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 17:47:56 -0400, "David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> |On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 20:11:02 +0000, F1 wrote:
> |
> |> I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping.
I am
> |> 6'1" and 245lbs. I have been riding fairly often this spring and have
lost
> |> 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of 210lbs.
> |
> |Good for you.
> |
> |> I am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions?
> |
> |You're not that heavy. Avoid anything marketed due to its weight, such
as
> |7-spoke wheels, carbon seatposts or bars, and 20mm tires. You should be
> |able to use a good sturdy carbon fork -- there are many out there, and
few
> |failures. Frame materials are pretty much wide open except for scandium |and other alloys aimed
> at the super-light. Sturdy aluminum bikes, like |Cannondales, or steel, or ti, should be fine. 36
> spoke wheels are a good |idea, as are 32mm tires (so find a frame that can accomodate them).
> |
> |I would not go for disk brakes on a road bike. Calipers work just fine. |For better wet braking
> try KoolStop salmon pads.
>
> Everything just [well] said... I'd just add one thing about weight loss and bike riding: If you
> were already active, you may not lose much weight cycling but you will/should shift it around a
> bit. So check waist size in addition to hopping on the scale, to assess your progress.
>
> and good luck with it -c.porter.
 
"F1" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping. I am 6'1" and 245lbs. I
> have been riding fairly often this spring and have lost 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of
> 210lbs. I am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions? Also,
> it rains a lot where I live -- is there a way to get those disc brakes you see on mountain bikes
> on a road bike?

You ain't so big-- don't sweat it.

Get a bike with regular 36 spoke wheels rather than the trendy reduced spoke count kind, and have
them tensioned and stress relieved by your LBS's wheelbuilder. I have broken square-taper spindles
at weights similar to yours, so I'd consider getting a bike with a tubular spindle crank.

Disc brakes offer no advantage over rim brakes for your purposes. They are noisy, fussy, and
(contrary to their reputation) do not offer better braking power than is possible with rim brakes.
They introduce a dished wheel on the front, which is much weaker than a normal front wheel. Their
chief benefit is to allow the use of really fat tires that do not easily clear other types of brake.
I would use cantilever or V-brakes rather than calipers or discs, if I were you.

Chalo Colina
 
"F1" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<Vx%[email protected]>...
> I wish I would have read that a few weeks ago. I was working hard and eating less, but I didn't
> lose a single pound. My wife swore I was, but I figured (hoped) that I was losing weight but
> gaining some some muscle. My legs were already kind of big, but I wish I would have measured them
> before, as I know for a fact they are bigger. My pants are loose in the waist, but tighter in the
> thighs...doh!
>
I agree with the other poster who suggested patience in weight loss. I can also add to watch your
carbohydrate intake. When you start riding there is a tendancy to carbo-load. I'm currently riding
at around 300 miles a week but I'm still trying to lose weight so I'm avoiding all pastas and rice
and getting sufficient carbs from fruits and cereals.

On the subject of your weight, I don't think you are not heavy enough to require special equipment.
The tandem that my wife and I ride has 36 spoke wheels and it carries a lot more than your weight. I
know a couple of active riders who weight more than you and have aluminum and carbon fiber bikes
with 32 spoke wheels and don't have problems.

Enjoy cycling, Tom
 
I went to the LBS today and checked out a few bikes. The bike technology is MUCH better than it was
just a few years ago, but the price has also gone up. I don't mind paying those prices though, since
I am looking at a faster, more comfortable and safer bike than the one I have now. Thank you all for
your input, it was all well taken.

Ben
 
"F1" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<Vx%[email protected]>...
> I wish I would have read that a few weeks ago. I was working hard and eating less, but I didn't
> lose a single pound. My wife swore I was, but I figured (hoped) that I was losing weight but
> gaining some some muscle. My legs were already kind of big, but I wish I would have measured them
> before, as I know for a fact they are bigger. My pants are loose in the waist, but tighter in the
> thighs...doh!

I have a similar history to yours, only I was a bit bigger when I started. I am 5' 11" tall and
when I started riding seriously about 2 years ago I weighed 260 lbs. I rode pretty consistently and
have constantly improved and lengthened my rides since then, but my weight never really too a
dramatic drop. Christmas 2002 I hit the scales and I was down to 245 lbs. 15 pounds in 18 months I
was a bit frustrated. Then something happened, I'm not certain exactally what but since then I have
dropped to 227.

I guess my $.02 is to just keep plugging at it and it WILL drop off, I was frustrated for a long
time and then suddenly it just started sloughing off quickly. Right now I'm shooting for 200#.

-- The Ogre http://ogrehut.net

>
>
> "Coal Porter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 17:47:56 -0400, "David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > |On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 20:11:02 +0000, F1 wrote:
> > |
> > |> I'm looking to upgrade my bike, but I want some input before shopping.
> I am
> > |> 6'1" and 245lbs. I have been riding fairly often this spring and have
> lost
> > |> 5 lbs, but hope to get to my goal of 210lbs.
> > |
> > |Good for you.
> > |
> > |> I am concerned that some of the bikes will not cope with my weight. Any suggestions?
> > |
> > |You're not that heavy. Avoid anything marketed due to its weight, such
> as
> > |7-spoke wheels, carbon seatposts or bars, and 20mm tires. You should be
> > |able to use a good sturdy carbon fork -- there are many out there, and
> few
> > |failures. Frame materials are pretty much wide open except for scandium |and other alloys aimed
> > at the super-light. Sturdy aluminum bikes, like |Cannondales, or steel, or ti, should be fine.
> > 36 spoke wheels are a good |idea, as are 32mm tires (so find a frame that can accomodate them).
> > |
> > |I would not go for disk brakes on a road bike. Calipers work just fine. |For better wet braking
> > try KoolStop salmon pads.
> >
> > Everything just [well] said... I'd just add one thing about weight loss and bike riding: If you
> > were already active, you may not lose much weight cycling but you will/should shift it around a
> > bit. So check waist size in addition to hopping on the scale, to assess your progress.
> >
> > and good luck with it -c.porter.
 
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